I've had heart a few ways. It's great fried in butter. I've also filleted it open, laid in a couple bacon slices, rolled it back up and baked it. Slice to serve. Pretty good that way too.

As for grinding a whole deer, I know guys do it, and it does make the meat easy to use, but you're really missing out on some of the best eating there is if you don't at least save the loins for steaks.

I just cooked a half loin in a cast iron pan with butter, salt and pepper. Cooked to an internal temp of 120, wrapped with foil. Needs to sit at least 30 minutes before slicing thin. If you'd rather eat ground meat than that, I'll never convince you.

Cut into slices 1/4" to 3/8". Soak overnight in salted water [ marinade if you prefer]. Prepare like liver and onions which to me is bread it, fry in butter, set meat aside and add onions to saute, make gravy and add meat back to simmer 30 to 45 min. Serve with good old mashed taters and biscuits. Also good for breakfast.

I just finished taking care of the hearts from the two doe that I shot yesterday. Like Spurred talked about for sandwiches only I did mine in the pressure cooker for 30 minutes. I then sliced both hearts up about 1/4 inch thick and threw them into another pan with vinegar, prepared horseradish, bay leaves and black pepper. Ten minutes simmered in that and I pack them up in wide mouth canning jars with a couple of small sliced white onions. I pour the hot vinegar mixture over the hearts in the jar and let it cool down, then pop them in the fridge for a couple of days. Good stuff.

There's 2 things I always pack for hunting - 2 large Ziplock freezer bags....1 for the heart and 1 for the liver....Heart is boiling as I write! (180# doe) Liver on ice till I get another onion tomorrow! (I'd prefer another deer, but the onion will do just fine!)

Venison Heart is excellant treated as a post roast, cook with onion, carrots, celery, black pepper, garlic and whatever other veggies you like with your potroasts. We sometimes make with dumplings and drop in the pot for the lastbit of cooking time

I kept a couple hearts in the past and though the flavor was alright the texture was chewy not like the liver. As for venison there are all sorts of information on cooking it. Personally I use the same seasoning on venison that I would use on beef or any meat. Just don't cook it as long as you would beef because it dries out quicker. I love a fat jucy steak or grilled backstrap with a pepper rub. To get off topic a little I always paid to have summer sausage made in the past. This year I bought two kits from Southern Indiana Butcher supply one summer sausage and one Bologna kit I followed the directions they sent and made 25# lbs of each. I used a Home made stemmer box I made out of a gas stove instead of a smoker and It came out great the Deer Bologna witch I had never had before was better than store Bologna. The recipe called for 20% fat added to the meat for summer sausage and 15 to 20% for Bologna. I used 20% in both I think 15% would have worked for both though 20% was fine just had some excess grease between the meat and casing. I had the butcher up the road save me the fat trimmings from beef briskets some guys around here use pork fat I think the beef fat gave it a better flavor. The only thing I added was one pound of seeded jalapeños for every 10 lbs of meat could have used more. When I was grinding everything I used the coarse grinding plate for the final grinding instead of a finer plate that they recommended. I bought a 2 inch stuffing tube that fit my No#22 grinder which worked great all in all I spent about the same on the grinder and kits as it would have cost to have the sausage made. But next year all I'll need to buy are the kits. I think I'll try the salami next year. I may even see about getting an electric or gas smoker though my home made stemmer box worked great. You do need a meat thermometer so you will know when the core temp on the sausage reaches 159 degrees. I just left the thermometer in one roll where I could see it without the heat escaping. It does take allot of time grinding, mixing, stuffing and cooking.
Here's the web address for Southern Indiana butcher supply http://store.butchersupply.net/shared/S ... =714301705

If a man cant hunt when he's living how the hell will he hunt when he's dead

I never find the heart when I'm gun hunting (maybe I should stop using grandpa's reloads. lol)and most of the deer I've gotten with bow had defective hearts also, so it's been awhile, but I have had it and I've also just added it to my sausage/hot dog meat, as with myself and kids with yuck syndrome, what they don't know is good for 'em. lol Those defective hearts, shoulders and livers are always good for Jan. coyote hunting too, want not, waist not. Thaw out the coyote bait when you're ready to use it, keep as much blood with it as you can. Set a blind, make a bloody scent drag, lots of fun.